Anyone out there who got Activision’s Guitar Hero World Tour video game for Christmas has probably already rocked out to The Hushpuppies’ track, “You’re Gonna Say Yeah”. They are in good company, as the game also includes tracks from R.E.M. and Modest Mouse.
Having caused quite a stir in their native France with some high octane live performances, the band is now busy crossing the Atlantic and taking on America. Their album, Silence Is Golden (Minty Fresh, Stateside, November 2008), is produced by Peter Deimut, who has worked with The Kills, among others.
It took over 420 studio hours to try and nail the band’s high energy, guitar blazing, key driven jams.
Silence Is Golden may have a familiarity not only with the title, but also the influences that leap out at you like long lost friends. Clearly singer Olivier Jordan, drummer Franck Pompidor, guitarist Cyrille Sudreaud, and keyboard player Wilfried Jourdan grew up in Perpignan listening to some quality music.
There are huge splashes of the best of British from the 60s — for example, The Kinks, and the Small Faces — which are mixed in with some later influences such as The Hives. Importantly though, the band adds their own individual style. It's a winning combination.
Adding Bordeaux bass player Guillaume Le Guen, they moved to Paris and continued their musical journey listening to The Queens Of The Stone Age. The result is a nicely balanced mixture of all of these elements set alight by some fat and fiery riffs and well constructed pop-rock songs, all capped with infectious enthusiasm.
The Hushpuppies project huge dashes of positive garage energy combined with a healthy awareness of potential arena rock. Anyone worried about the French connection need not be concerned as the band deliver faultless, authentic sounding, English vocals.
Article comments